


Trust Me

by saturnice



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fighting, Fluff, Hurt Gavin Reed, Idiots in Love, M/M, RK900 is called Ark, based off my other fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:34:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23285599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saturnice/pseuds/saturnice
Summary: Gavin, in all honestly, had no idea why he did it.He knew Ark was an android; hell, the guy had probably taken a thousand bullets since he’d been activated and just brushed them all off like they were nothing.So Gavin truly had no idea why he pushed Ark out of the way, feeling the bullet land in his chest with a thud.Or, Gavin takes a bullet for Ark, but when a quarrel sparks between them because of it, Gavin questions if what they have is real.
Relationships: Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 4
Kudos: 159





	1. Shot Down

**Author's Note:**

> they really are idiots in love. enjoy the angst.

Ark looked around the corner, scouting the area. He could feel his partner’s breath on his neck, feeling his annoyed glare burn into him. He smirked.

“Could you move your ass over?” he growled, bumping the android over. 

Ark rolled his eyes. “Try growing a few inches taller, that might help.” 

“Oh, fuck you.” Gavin peeked around. The floor they were on was empty, as far as he could tell — but Ark always saw _something_. “See anything?”

He hummed. “No one’s here, but there are footsteps leading up.”

Of course there were. “Where the hell do you see that?”

“A magician never reveals his secret,” Ark replied, turning around to head up. He gave Gavin an amused smile, accompanied with teasing eyes, “especially not to annoying little shits like you.” He laughed quietly as his lover narrowed his eyes further, begrudgingly trailing behind him. 

“‘Magician’ my ass,” he mumbled, filing up the stairwell.

The case they had been assigned was nothing new — a guy went into a store, held the cashier and shoppers at gunpoint, took all the money, and dashed. Ark had grown used to catching such people; normally, they would first try to convince the culprit to just give the money back and cooperate with them. 

This, expectedly, rarely happened.

So Gavin would then take it a step further and pull his gun out, as he’d always been the more impulsive one. At that point, people would usually either listen and hand themselves over or, the more annoyingly common route, begin to run.

Ark slowed his step as they reached the next level — the footsteps led directly into the doorway leading into the corridor. 

“Stay behind me,” Ark said to Gavin, reaching for the door handle.

Gavin scoffed. “Yeah, yeah, I can handle myself—“

“Gavin.” He turned to look at him sternly. “We know the culprit has a gun, and you happen to have warm, human blood running through your idiotic veins.” 

Another scoff. “So?”

Ark was about to leave him, right then and there. “ _So_ , you can _die_ , as you should know damn well by now.”

“Thanks for the reminder, asshat,” Gavin replied, but still, he stepped behind Ark, sighing. “Lead the way, prick.”

Ark carefully opened the door, revealing a long hallway with apartments lining the walls. Scanning the floor, he was easily able to find the culprit’s footprints once more, following them into a room.

“Ready?” he asked Gavin, looking at him.

Gavin already had a hand on his gun. He nodded. “‘Course I am.”

Ark knocked.

He would later wish he really, really hadn’t.

The door opened a crack. “Who’s it?” a low, shaky voice asked.

“Detroit Police Department,” Ark stated, his voice loud and confident. “We have reason to believe you are either the culprit of a robbery or are harboring the culprit. We have a warr—“

Before he could even finish, the door slammed shut, the sound of numerous locks clicking following. Ark swore.

“Stand back.” Gavin listened — for once — leaving Ark enough room to step back and kick the door down easily. 

He was also acutely aware of his partner staring at his ass the whole time.

Saving the thought for later shenanigans, Ark barged in, Gavin following closely behind. The window was wide open, leading to a staircase down to the alley. The thief was already more than halfway down.

Without hesitating, Ark jumped down to the ground, barely even stopping before he began to sprint down the alleyway. He ignored Gavin’s swears as he did his best to keep up, nearly tripping over himself as he went down the stairs two at a time.

Ark caught up rather easily, reaching for his gun. Something about this man was . . . off. The thieves he had encountered in the past were always desperate and greedy — this man seemed different.

He was unstable, _dangerous_. 

The alley led to a wire fence, luckily. Before the criminal could even begin the climb, Ark cocked his gun.

“Stop right there,” he demanded, and the man froze.

A quick search showed that his name was Randal Jones. He had gotten out of prison only a month ago. Jones had first gotten in for first-degree murder of his ex.

Ark’s frown deepened. He had always hated those types of people — the jealous ones who always needed to get their way, their own needs taking over their minds. As Ark looked at the man in front of him — his hunched, scrawny figure — he felt as if he already knew everything about him.

“Listen, Mr. Jones,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. He heard Gavin finally catch up, his breath heaving. “If you hand over the money right now and just come with us, things will be much easier for the both of us, understand?”

Jones’s gaze darted between the two of them and the bag held tightly in one arm, the other holding a gun. He raised it.

“No!” he yelled, shaking his head wildly. Ark suspected he was intoxicated. “No, I won’t go back — you can’t make me.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have robbed a store if you didn’t want to go back to jail, dipshit,” Gavin retorted, his own gun in the air. “Hands up, now!”

Ark knew what was going to happen.

He knew it as soon as Jones began to aim his gun toward him.

It had happened dozens of times before.

Jones would shoot, he’d get shot, but then Gavin would probably shoot his leg to get him down. They would arrest him, get Ark fixed up, and go home — probably order takeout, watch a movie, make out and go to bed.

He never felt fear when he saw a bullet racing toward him. Ark knew even he wasn’t fast enough to move out of the way for the first shot, but the others would be easy; predictable.

So he stood, waiting for the inevitable.

Except, it never came.

Instead, he felt two familiar hands push him out of the way, sending him tumbling to the ground.

He felt shock jolt up his spine as he saw Gavin take the hit, falling to the ground beside him. Jones saw the opportunity and turned back to the fence, dropping his gun in his panic as he escaped.

Not that Ark cared.

What he cared about was the pool of blood that was already spreading across the asphalt, its dark red nearly blending in.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

\- 

Gavin, in all honestly, had no idea why he did it.

He knew Ark was an android; hell, the guy had probably taken a thousand bullets since he’d been activated and just brushed them all off like they were nothing.

So Gavin truly had no idea why he pushed Ark out of the way, feeling the bullet land in his chest with a thud.

He was faintly able to make out shocked blue eyes and a wide mouth as he fell to the ground, groaning in pain. 

“Shit,” he managed, trying to get himself up. “ _Shit_.”

He felt Ark grab him and hoist him onto his lap. Meanwhile, he watched as the culprit climbed up the fence rapidly and jump down, running towards the road.

Instead of chasing after him, Ark went straight to Gavin, shedding his jacket and pressing it against his wound. Gavin’s sight seemed to be clouded with pain, but he could see just how fucked up Ark was.

His eyes were filled with a mix of panic and confusion, his LED glowing a bright red. His shoulders were tense and — shit, was he shaking?

“H-Hey, Ark, you okay?” he stuttered, wincing as his partner pressed down harder. “You there?”

“How could you _possibly_ be fucking asking me if _I’m_ okay?” Ark gritted out, eyebrows knitted with worry and anger. 

Gavin laughed weakly. “He really f-fucked me up, didn’t he?” 

“No. You’re going to be fine, an ambulance is coming. Just shut the hell up.”

“Ark?”

The android tensed even more, avoiding Gavin’s gaze. “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” he said, eyebrows still furrowed.

Gavin shook his head. “What, me taking a bullet for you? Y-You really think that fuckin’ lowly of me, huh?”

“This isn’t funny, Gavin! I have no damn clue why you’re joking around while you’re bleeding out in front of me!”

Gavin grimaced. Was the sun always this bright? “Yeah, I must be really fucked up if you’re mad at me about it.” He coughed, laying his head back. “ _Fuck._ ”

“Gavin? Hey, Gavin!”

“It’s too fuckin’ bright out here,” he mumbled, eyes closing.

“Gavin Reed, you better open your fucking eyes right now.”

 _Or what?_ he wanted to ask, except Gavin found he could barely get himself to move his lips.

“ _Gavin?_ ”

Yeah. There was no way the sun was always that fucking bright.


	2. Mended

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys get in a fight; Ark questions his thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, our boys have been blinded by their love. don’t worry — i’m sure they’ll make up. right?

Gavin woke up with more light blinding his eyes, groaning.

Great.

“Fuck,” he grumbled, his eyes slowly focusing on his surroundings. By the looks of the too-white walls and the bright fluorescent lights, he knew he had to be in a hospital. He scowled. He had always hated hospitals; the smell, the doctors, the food — everything seemed to suck _ass_ there.

He glanced to his side to find Ark sitting in a chair with crossed arms, staring at the floor distractedly. Surprisingly, he hadn’t even noticed Gavin was awake yet — his partner was always so attentive and alert.

Attempting to sit up a bit more, Gavin hissed in pain. He looked down to see the upper part of his chest wrapped in bandages.

Ark jumped slightly and looked up, immediately getting up to get closer to the bed. “You’re up,” he said, the relief in his voice unmistakable. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I got hit by a damn bus,” Gavin replied bluntly, “but that’s nothin’ new. Water?” Ark handed him the glass that was placed next to him, and Gavin drank it down in one gulp. He sighed, leaning back in the bed. “What happened to the guy?”

Ark looked away. “He got away. Fowler will probably reassign the case to someone else since you’ve been hurt.”

Gavin huffed. “Dick. I’ll be fine in a few hours, then we’ll show him.” Ark’s grip on the bed tightened. “Hey, you okay?”

His partner let out a sharp breath, still avoiding his gaze. “That’s what you said to me when you first got shot,” he said, shaking his head. 

“ _And?_ I don’t see the problem here, babe.”

“Really? Are you really that fucking ignorant?” Ark snorted, standing up a bit taller to finally meet Gavin’s eyes. 

Shit. He was angry. 

More than angry — _fuming._

Gavin blinked.

“The _problem_ , Gavin, is that you jumped in front of a bullet. For _me_ , an android.”

“Seriously? I mean, you do it all the damn time for me—“

“I’m not alive, Gavin! I don’t get hurt like you, I don’t feel things like you do!”

“ _Feel things?_ Like what, huh? A bullet landing in your chest?” Before Ark could answer, Gavin continued. “I did what I did because I felt like I needed to, Ark. It didn’t matter to me if you’re all nuts and bolts, I didn’t want to see you get fucking shot, because you’re one of the people I actually give a damn about — _that’s_ what I felt.”

Ark’s jaw tensed before he spoke. “Well, it looks like I was right, Detective. We don’t think or feel alike at all.” 

Gavin froze.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” No response. “Hey, answer the fucking question, asshole!”

“When I see a bullet heading toward you, I shield you because I know your fragile body can’t handle it,” Ark explained harshly. “In the moment, I don’t think about how I _feel_. I think about how if you’re injured, your body will need time to heal fully and get back to full strength. _I don’t._ “

Gavin scoffed. “You dick. You absolute asshole—“

The door opened as a doctor walked in, stopping in his tracks when he saw Ark’s intimidating glare and Gavin’s equally fuming expression.

“I need to check your vitals, Detective,” he said slowly, eyes flitting from Ark to Gavin. The sound of the heart rate monitor filled the room, its now rapid pattern growing apparent. “Your heart rate seems to have elevated — is . . . everything alright?”

Ark left the room without a word, sliding past the doctor and shutting the door with a slam. 

Gavin slumped back into the bed, closing his eyes. 

“Just peachy, doc.”

-

Ark knew there was some truth behind his words. 

Not the whole truth, but some.

He knew Gavin’s body, realistically, wasn’t built the same as his own — quite literally. He was designed for combat, made for taking hits; Gavin wasn’t.

Yet, one thing he said stuck out to him, screaming to be taken back.

_“Well, it looks like I was right, Detective. We don’t think or feel alike at all.”_

_Fuck._

Why did he say that?

He sighed as his taxi stopped, handing the driver his due amount before stepping out. Gavin was supposed to be released from the hospital in a week or two, but knowing him, he’d probably weasel his way out way sooner. 

Ark raised a hand and knocked twice on the familiar door in front of him, the sound of a car passing by filling his ears. He felt as if a boulder had been tied to his back, weighing him down as the door opened.

“Nines?”

The nickname spilled off Connor’s tongue naturally as he greeted his friend, a smile already plastered on his lips.

“It’s good to see you! How have you—“ He cut himself off as Ark’s face remained grim. “Why don’t you come inside?” He nodded, stepping in.

Sumo greeted him immediately, sniffing him quickly before nudging his hand, demanding pets. Ark gladly gave the friendly dog several firm pets on the head before following Connor to the couch sitting beside him.

“Hank is napping in his room right now,” he said, turning off the TV. “I assume he’s probably up now, though, because of all the commotion. I hope you won’t mind him being a bit grumpy if he comes out to say hi,” Connor said, smiling in amusement.

Ark nodded again, unable to say anything. He saw the grin slip off his predecessor’s face.

“Is everything okay? Did something happen to Gavin?” he asked, worry creeping into his voice.

“No, no,” Ark replied quickly. “He’s fine, thankfully. I’m sure he’ll make a full recovery.” 

Connor turned to face him fully. “Then, what’s wrong?”

“You two are too damn loud is what’s wrong.” They both shifted their focus to Hank as he lumbered in, eyes still clouded with sleep. “Gah, stop lookin’ at me like that — you two are giving me the creeps.”

Even Ark had to huff a laugh at Hank’s comment, though he quickly reminded himself why he was at their house in the first place.

“Would you two mind if I stayed here for a while?” he asked hesitantly. 

Hank perked an eyebrow. “You and lover boy had a fight, huh? So, was it you or Gavin who screwed up?” Connor gave the older man a look. “What? I’m just asking.”

Ark leaned back on the couch, looking at the ceiling. “It was me,” he admitted. He heard Hank made a small noise of surprise before he walked over, sitting in the armchair across from them.

“Well?” he prompted. “You gonna tell us what happened, or is Connor here gonna have to analyze it out of you?” Another reprimanding look. Hank kept his eyes on Ark.

Reluctantly, Ark returned his gaze to his two friends, telling them everything that had happened. Connor nodded understandingly while Hank listened carefully. Thinking back to what he said made his own chest tighten, guilt pulling him down.

“After all that, I doubt Gavin wants to see me back in his apartment,” Ark finished, shoulders slumped. Connor patted his shoulder comfortingly. “I’m such an idiot.”

“You can stay here as long as you’d like, Ark,” Connor said softly.

Hank nodded. “‘Course you can — but you’re going to have to face him eventually, kid. If you two really care about each other, you’ll have to get over this somehow.”

Ark nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

But how?

-

Gavin sat on his couch, leftover spaghetti sitting on the coffee table while the TV droned on in the background.

He knew he probably should’ve stayed at the hospital longer, but the last place he wanted to be was the stupid white room where Ark had left him. 

Ark. Right.

Gavin remembered the hurt he’d felt when Ark had left. He remembered trying to not be surprised when he came home to an empty apartment. He remembered hot, angry tears falling down his face when all he could think about was the stupid android who seemed to have taken all of his happiness with him.

Gavin also happened to remember the e-mail Fowler had sent him the day he’d gotten home. 

_Reed,_

_You’re excused from work until further notice. If I see your ass at the station, I’ll have you sent back to the hospital — where you belong, by the way._

_Also, I’ve contacted Ark. He’s going to go and check in on you in a few days to make sure you’re actually okay. I don’t know what went on between you two, but you guys better snap out of it; you have a job to do._

_\- Fowler_

Gavin let out a long breath. He was in no way ready to see Ark again. He hadn’t felt this shitty in a while, and he doubted seeing his partner would make him feel any better. All he wanted was to get some food in himself, have a drink or two, and try to sleep the ache in his chest away.

So when someone knocked on his door three times, each one precise and even, he felt his mood get, somehow, even worse, because no one in the damn world knocked like Ark did.

Getting up with a sigh, Gavin made his way to the door, opening it slowly.

Ark stood in front of him, looking as tense as ever. He knew he’d been staying at Hank and Connor’s place, so he wasn’t too worried about where he had been staying.

Gavin tried to convince himself he hadn’t been worried sick about the android ever since he had gotten home.

“Hi, Gavin,” Ark greeted, trying to get a response. Instead, Gavin rolled his eyes, turning around to walk back to the couch.

He sat back down with a grunt of pain, absentmindedly rubbing his left side. Ark closed the door and followed, sitting beside him.

“Are you feeling alright?”

He kept his eyes on the cold plate in front of him.

“I should probably change your bandage.”

The spaghetti looked fucking disgusting.

“The last thing we need is for your wound to get infected. Then I’ll really have to get you to the hospital, and I know how much you hate the damn place—“ Before Ark could keep rambling, Gavin let himself break.

“So now you know how I feel?” he asked, scoffing. “Give me a fucking break, Ark.” He got up, heading toward the bathroom because, fuck, Ark was right, as always — he really needed to change his bandages.

That didn’t keep the android from following him.

“Gavin, please, just let me explain,” Ark pleaded. 

“I think you explained just fine at the hospital,” Gavin snapped, opening the cabinet. 

“I just want to talk—“

God, Gavin wanted to slam the cabinet shut, but he knew the mirror on the other side would break and he didn’t feel like having to clean up.

“Fine. Then let me fuckin’ talk to _you_ about this, alright?” Ark stepped back, nodding. “God, I hate this — I fucking hate having to say this, but I—“ He stopped to breathe, shaking his head. “I care about you, Ark. You should know that damn well by now, but if—“ Say it, just fucking say it— “If you don’t feel the same way I do, then maybe we’re better off as just partners.”

Gavin saw Ark freeze.

He also felt his heart thumping out of his chest, looking away. “You said you don’t feel the way I do, right?” Ark stayed still. “Well, I can’t be with you if it’s like that. I just . . .” Gavin felt his walls breaking, not even trying to hold them up anymore as he looked down at the roll of bandages in his hand. “I just don’t wanna lose you after all this, y’know? But you’re better off without me, anyway. No one to get shot and sent to the hospital, right? So you can just go—“

Ark practically leapt forward, engulfing Gavin in a hug. From the corner of his eye, he could see the faint red glow of Ark’s LED.

“That’s not what I meant at all,” the android said softly. He pulled back. “Gavin, look at me, _please._ “ He did, and what he saw made the tear in his heart a whole lot bigger.

Ark looked _tired._ Gavin knew he was an android so it was impossible, but somehow, he did. Not to mention his slightly teary eyes filled with guilt.

“I shouldn’t have said that to you. I really care about you, Gavin,” he said. “I was just angry and worried for you — I mean, after months of me taking the shots, seeing you get hurt just made me lose it.”

“Ark,” Gavin started, “you can’t expect to take on every single shot. Just ‘cause you’re an android doesn’t mean you’re fucking indestructible.”

“But I can be rebuilt—“

“I didn’t mean your body, dumbass. I meant your head — your thoughts.” Ark grew silent. “I already told you why I took a bullet for you, and now I’m telling you I’d do it all again if someone asked.”

Ark snorted. “Then you’re even more of an idiot than I thought you were.”

Gavin rolled his eyes, but a small smile took the edge away. “Yeah, well, I guess we’re just two dumbasses, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Ark gently took the bandages from Gavin’s hand, helping him take off his shirt before undoing the old ones. Despite everything his partner had said, Gavin couldn’t help but feel doubt gnawing at him.

“Ark?”

“Hm?”

“You sure about all that stuff you said?”

Pausing, Ark put a hand on Gavin’s cheek, brushing over it with his thumb. Gavin felt reassured just from his gentle touch, leaning into it.

“You can trust me, Gavin. I’d take a thousand more bullets for you if you asked.”

Gavin shook his head, smiling. “You’re such a damn sap.” Ark pulled his hand away and focused his attention back on Gavin’s wound, a smile reflected on his face.

“Don’t get used to it. As soon as you’re well enough, you’re changing your own bandages.”

“Asshole.”

“Shut up and let me do this.”

A smile still sitting contently on his lips, Gavin lightly kissed Ark’s head. _Just two dumbasses,_ he thought.

He wouldn’t have it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> hey all! if you enjoyed this, please consider reading my fic about Ark and Gavin - [I’m Here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15208322/chapters/35273525)


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